Chapter 15
Monday morning arrived with a thunderous pounding at the front door.
‘Eliza! Hello? Are you even alive in there?’
‘For God’s sake, Aggie,’ Eliza called back, wincing at the volume of her own voice.
Her body felt deliciously sore from Luke’s visit last night – the memory of the kitchen table still enough to make her blush.
She stumbled down the stairs, each step sending yet another small throb through her tender head.
‘Contrary to what you might think,’ she said, swinging open the door, ‘I’ve actually been conscious for at least ten minutes, even if I don’t look like it.’
Agatha swept past her in a cloud of perfume and boobs. ‘Marvellous. Then you won’t mind getting dressed immediately. I’m in desperate need of caffeine, and one of those epic cinnamon buns!’
‘Are you sure that’s all you’re after?’ teased Eliza half-heartedly, as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Shit she looked hungover.
‘Okay, well maybe another quick glimpse of the supposed god you’re shagging, too. Let’s be honest, the coffee is good, but I didn’t drive all the way over here just for that.’
Eliza winced at her tangled hair as she attempted to smooth it down with her fingers. ‘Don’t get your hopes up,’ she told Aggie with a casual shrug. ‘We had a brief encounter last night, but nothing is guaranteed!’
‘Please tell me you haven’t fucked things up already,’ Aggie groaned, throwing her head back dramatically. ‘I was counting on at least getting to thrust my boobs at him a little!’
‘Give me five minutes,’ Eliza called over her shoulder, already halfway up the stairs. ‘This disaster requires more than just a quick fix.’
Upstairs, she pulled on her unofficial countryside uniform – worn-in jeans and comfortable trainers – pairing them with an oversized sweatshirt that she tucked in just at the front.
Stylish, but not try-hard. A swipe of mascara and dab of lip gloss later, she bounded back downstairs, suddenly remembering she hadn’t mentioned to Luke she’d be stopping by Stanley’s this morning.
After last night’s mind-blowing encounter, she could hardly blame herself for the oversight, but now she found herself oddly nervous about seeing him again.
‘Okay, let’s go,’ said Eliza, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. ‘Can we jump in my car? I need to make sure the engine still works!’
‘Are you ever going to update this car to something more reliable?’ asked Agatha in a very big sister way.
‘Agatha, I’m not even sure how I’m going to pay my phone bill, so worrying about a car update is the last thing on my mind!’
As they drove up the lane, Agatha turned to her and said, ‘I think you’re mad to be doing this wedding without getting paid until it’s over. I bet they’re paying all their other suppliers in instalments. I mean if I take the job, I’ll need to be paid to cover all the upfront costs.’
‘Of course she’s paying all the suppliers properly, and you’ll get paid for supplies and your hours before the wedding. And I don’t mind waiting. As I said before, it’s really good for my portfolio. Hopefully something else will come of it. Don’t start nagging me already!’
‘I am not nagging you. Well, not really,’ Agatha grumbled, looking out the window at the beautiful rolling fields and glinting early summer sun. ‘I’m just looking out for you. Are you doing it to get closer to Luke?’
‘No!’ Pulling her sunglasses down to shade her eyes, Eliza hoped the blush wasn’t too obvious.
‘Well, not really. Of course, I can’t see any harm in doing something nice for his sister, unless I really fuck it up, but I’m doing it for me.
I have nothing else on, and it gets me back in the game.
Anyway, I think I’ve found another way to earn some money in the meantime. ’
‘Oh God – is it legal?’ asked Agatha, as Daisy’s suspension just about survived the drive to Stanley’s.
‘Yes, it’s legal!’ laughed Eliza. ‘Okay, here we are!’
‘Is there anything you want to tell me before we go in? Or are we just going in?’
‘We’re just going in. Because like everyone else, he knows my car – and if he’s here, and he sees us sitting in the car and not going in, then we look weird. And we don’t want to look weird. So, we go in and act normal.’
‘Normal, right. Why wouldn’t we act normal? Because the guy who owns the café is really hot and you’re screwing him?’
As they walked towards the door, Eliza said, ‘Well, who knows whether I am? I have been, but you can’t take anything for granted. I have a feeling this is all too good to be true, and there are definitely some secrets in the closet that I don’t know.’
Stepping inside, Eliza was aware of how familiar it felt already.
The way it smelt, the hum of music in the background, the table in the corner where she and Luke had eaten their first supper together.
She tried to peek into the kitchen as they found their way to the counter.
She had mixed emotions of remembering Luke’s tender kiss as she sat on the counter watching him cook for her on their second date.
‘Morning, Eliza, fancy seeing you here,’ said Mia, with a wink. ‘Same as usual?’
‘Hi, Mia! Yes, please,’ said Eliza, smothering a giggle. ‘And one for my sister, too, and a couple of cinnamon buns I think should do the trick.’
‘How about one cinnamon bun and one slice of carrot cake?’ pleaded Agatha. ‘That way we can share. Surely, it’s boring if we both have the same thing?’
‘What she said,’ joked Eliza, as she held her phone out to pay.
‘No problem, girls, I’ll bring them over to you in a minute. And I hope to see you at Pilates tomorrow!’
Eliza sent her an exhausted look. She couldn’t envisage downward dog right now, but knowing Mia must be feeling the same, she couldn’t hold it against her. How many bottles had they gone through last night?
Eliza followed Agatha to a sunlit table by the windows, her temples throbbing with each step.
The promise of sugar and caffeine were the only thing keeping her upright.
She scanned the café quickly – no sign of Luke.
She was obsessed; she had to get a grip!
She pressed her fingertips against her forehead.
‘Pilates?’ Agatha whispered, leaning forward conspiratorially. ‘Look at you, all buddy-buddy with the village crowd. Must be nice having all this freedom.’
Eliza shrugged. ‘Trust me, your perfect marriage looks pretty good from where I’m sitting.’
‘Never mind that.’ Agatha’s eyes darted around the room. ‘Where’s this famous Luke? Don’t you dare tell me he’s not even here. I’ve been preparing my “casual but impressed” face all morning!’
‘Ssssh, keep your voice down – I told you to act cool! And I did say I didn’t know where he was. Anyway,’ she said and fought the urge to look around again, ‘I’m more interested in the fact that you’ve agreed to cater the wedding. I mean, I know I didn’t give you much of a choice, but . . .’
Thankfully the coffees and cake arrived just in time, Agatha dived in with her fork and Eliza took that first delicious sip. Thank you, Lord of all things caffeine, work your magic, please!
‘Okay, okay! Sorry, I’m just excited. Nothing very exciting happens in my life, so I have to live vicariously through you. So, the wedding, yes, I will cater it. But, I want you to know I’m terrified, it’ll give me anxiety, and I need the budget to get my old team in.’
‘Done.’
‘Really? Okay, then. I can’t believe I’m actually going to do this. And will it be in here? Can I have a look at the kitchen?’ Agatha looked so excited it made Eliza’s heart sing. She hadn’t seen her sister look this lit up in years.
‘I’m sure we can barge our way in! I was thinking easy, rustic, bowl food – farm style. But all fresh local ingredients, and maybe a hog roast. What do you think?’
‘Snap! I think that’s totally on brand for the wedding. Is that what Fenella wants, too?’
‘Honestly, she seems pretty relaxed about it all – I think she’s just so relieved that she no longer has to arrange it all herself. But she did want a tasting.’
‘Well, I can definitely arrange that – I’ll cook up some samples and bring them over for us all to try with a glass of wine. But, Eliza, you are cutting it tight; it’s only four weeks till the big day!’
‘I know, crazy, right? That seems to be how they roll around here.’
‘So, what’s the job you think you have? I told you you’d find something; you always land on your feet!’
‘Well, it’s not a job as such, but hopefully something to bring in a few quid while I get my events company off the ground.
You know I mentioned Jean Pierre and Vivi, who live in the massive manor house and make wine?
Well, they’re looking to bring a sparkling wine to market, and they need someone to help them launch it.
They asked me last night whether I’d do it, and I said yes! ’
‘Wow, that’s so great. But apart from the fact that you used to date a wine broker, what do you know about wine?’
Eliza savoured another bite of carrot cake, letting the sweetness linger on her tongue. It was almost as good as Marjorie’s, but not quite. She chewed for a moment before answering, just to annoy Agatha.
‘Let’s just say I’ve conducted extensive personal research,’ she said with a giggle.
‘Honestly, though, Aggie, I do know what tastes good and what sells. And I’ve got contacts at every decent wine bar and catering business in London.
Vivi already has someone handling the distribution side, she just needs me to create buzz.
One knockout launch party, and voilà! I just need to make sure Henry and his awful crowd don’t show up. ’
‘God, can you imagine?’ Agatha grimaced. ‘And by the way, you better send me some bottles. For quality control purposes, obviously. Are they actually paying you for this?’